Jun 27, 2014 6:30 AM

Gallery: Harvard Robot Whiz Invents a Way to Weave Facades Out of Clay

Photos by Jared Friedman
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The panels could then be mounted on an architectural scaffold.
Photos by Jared Friedman
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Friedman's goal was to bring the art of textiles into architectural applications.

Photos by Jared Friedman
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Harvard grad student [Jared Friedman](http://jaredfriedman.org/) is combining industrial robots and clay to create mass-produced architectural facades with the earthy charm of your grandmother's macramé.
Photos by Jared Friedman
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A clay-filled syringe attached to the robotic arm would drape coils of clay onto a template.

Photos by Jared Friedman
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In Friedman's vision an architect could design a woven facade for a building using CAD tools.
Photos by Jared Friedman
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Combining dozens of these panels would give architects an opportunity to create facades that have a handmade feel despite being created by robots.

Photos by Jared Friedman
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The overall design would be broken down into a smaller panel.
Photos by Jared Friedman
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The clay panels would be fired in a kiln, like a ceramic cereal bowl or tea cup.

Photos by Jared Friedman
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Architects could specify a master pattern, but allow glitches in the software and abnormalities in the clay to add random quirks.

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